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Dodge Dakota Engine and Underhood Questions

378 messages,  Last post on Nov 25, 2009 at 9:20 PM

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#191 of 378 Re: Rattle in my 3.9 engine [tctw] by dustyk Aug 06, 2007 (6:07 pm)
Replying to: tctw (Aug 05, 2007 3:19 am) It use to be commonly stated that 3.9s had weak timing chains and I've seen a number of them accused of a myriad of performance problems, and later changed out. I have yet to see one changed that caused the problem it was accused of!   My son was convinced that his '91 3.9 had a bad timing chain because everyone driving a Chevy or a Ford told him it was bad. At 210,000 miles he tore it apart. He asked me to look at it and, yes, there was slack. However, there were no signs it was hitting the timing chain cover.   Convinced that so many people could not be wrong, he changed the timing chain. It did not solve his performance problem. (It turned out to be a combination of bad plug wires, distributor cap, and some cracked vacuum hoses.   That being said, at high mileage I can understand why timing chains are usually first suspected for a noise condition. I would recommend using a stethoscope to listen for the noise generating area of the motor before you tear into the engine. It could be a worn chain or gears.   Best regards, Dusty
#192 of 378 Dodge Dakota '91 - unable to idle, revs instead. by roadtraveller Aug 21, 2007 (5:45 pm)
#193 of 378 Dodge Dakota '91 - unable to idle, revs instead. by roadtraveller Aug 17, 2007 (8:55 pm)
Help! I have a 91 Dodge Dakota Club Cab 4x4 w/ the 3.9 V-6 & automatic transmission. When I put it in park the engine revs to 2000 RPMs. I used to be able to get it to idle by tapping the gas a little. Now it just revs higher & higher. Shop checked it and can't figure out why. Local Dodge dealer doesn't work on "old" vehicles like this (they said this with a sneer). Need help from someone who knows older Dodge trucks. My shop guys are willing to listen to any help I can find - they're not super familiar with this vehicle, but they're honest and the best thing I have to work with right now. My truck has over 200,000 miles, so I guess I'm at a point where I have to decide to fix or get rid of it. I'd rather fix it, but I can't just keep pouring money in either. The shop guys disconnected something so it idles really low (almost won't when cold outside), cause I've gotta get to work somehow. They're searching for answers to - trying to find a mechanic that used to work at the Dodge dealer back when they still fixed these trucks. Anyone have ideas? Replies to this message: dustyk (Aug 18, 2007 11:16 am) roadtraveller (Aug 19, 2007 10:43 am) dustyk (Aug 21, 2007 5:45 pm)
#194 of 378 Re: Dodge Dakota '91 - unable to idle, revs instead. [roadtraveller] by dustyk Aug 18, 2007 (11:16 am)
Replying to: roadtraveller (Aug 17, 2007 8:55 pm) On a vehicle that old the first thing to check for is a vacuum leak. Rubber vacuum hoses get brittle and cracked after a while. You could have a bad throttle body base gasket. This can cause a high idle condition.   On that vintage your Idle Speed Motor could be binding and not returning back to the correct idle position. This was an occasional problem in those years. If you disconnect the Idle Speed Motor and the idle goes to rest, you could have a bad Coolant Temperature Sensor, a Fuel Temperature Sensor, or a faulty computer.   Make sure that the cables going to the throttle lever on the throttle body are not binding or sticking.   Regards, Dusty Replies to this message: roadtraveller (Aug 19, 2007 10:43 am) dustyk (Aug 21, 2007 5:45 pm)
#195 of 378 Re: Dodge Dakota '91 - unable to idle, revs instead. [dustyk] by roadtraveller Aug 19, 2007 (10:43 am)
Replying to: dustyk (Aug 18, 2007 11:16 am) Thanks for the help, Dusty. Before posting, I read some of the others questions. I wondered about vacuum hoses, especially since I've had to replace some coolant hoses with leaks already. If I have a bad throttle body gasket, would anything be leaking besides air? I'm not totally ignorant with vehicles, but I don't know very much either. I was looking at the engine yesterday, and I see that the shop disconnected what looks like a big (about 2"), maybe insulated?, air hose, which looks kind of beat up, to the throttle (I think that's what it's leading to). Does that have to do with the Idle Speed Motor? I'm guessing it does. I believe they also disconnected the Idle Speed Motor, if that is a separate action. It idles very low now, almost stalling when cold, but OK when the engine is warm. I know that my shop guys checked the cables, because that was their first thought, as we've had unrelated work done. This vehicle is my only transportation, and I don't have tons of money (obvious, since I drive a truck built when I was just starting high school!) My husband is away, and I'm really struggling here. Any additional help is very much appreciated. Any questions to help refine the issue, I'll answer, if I can, and find out if I don't know.   Thanks again, Faith. Replies to this message: dustyk (Aug 21, 2007 5:45 pm)
#196 of 378 Re: Dodge Dakota '91 - unable to idle, revs instead. [roadtraveller] by dustyk Aug 21, 2007 (5:45 pm)
Replying to: roadtraveller (Aug 19, 2007 10:43 am) If the Throttle Body gasket was leaking the engine would draw air through the opening, causing the engine to idle or run at higher RPM. I've seen this failure many times on Chevies and GMCs, but never on a Dodge. Still, there could be a first time.   I'm not sure what hose you could be refering to, but nothing should be disconnected!   If the connector has been disconnected from the Idle Speed Motor, then I suspect this is what's causing your problem, since you indicate that the high idle problem has not returned. As previously noted, the motors in that vintage sometimes had a tendency to bind and not allow a return to normal idle. Unfortunately, I have seen one that was caused by the computer sending a constant signal to the motor.   Right now the throttle stop located on the front of the throttle body and contacts the linkage at rest is acting as the idle position. The Idle Speed Motor needs to be working correctly in order for the engine to operate properly.   I think on '91 throttle bodies the stop was adjustable, but it is not recommended if you ever repair the idle speed motor issue.   Regards, Dusty
#197 of 378 Re: 2001 Dodge Dakota motor/Transmission problems [budgurl07] by DodgeTruck Oct 12, 2007 (10:34 pm)
Replying to: budgurl07 (Jul 30, 2007 8:38 am) i had a similar problem with my 97 dakota basically your saying the rpms are moving spiratically at times well you can check your distributer cap it may have moisture inside that may fix it well it worked for me
#198 of 378 Firing order of Spark plug wires by psigler Oct 15, 2007 (5:36 pm)
It was running ruff so I thought that i would do a tune up and I don't know if I have the wires in the right order. Replies to this message: bpeebles (Oct 17, 2007 6:13 pm)
#199 of 378 Re: Firing order of Spark plug wires [psigler] by bpeebles Oct 17, 2007 (6:13 pm)
Replying to: psigler (Oct 15, 2007 5:36 pm) There is a reason why the instructions on the spark-plug-wire box says to replace ONE AT A TIME. (Often says to start with longest and work you way down to shortest)   Before we can help you get the ignition-wires hooked up right... we needs to know what engine you have? (The Dakota is availabe with 4 different engines)
#200 of 378 loss of power at high RPM’s by johnmeeks Oct 19, 2007 (5:30 pm)
I have a 2000 Dodge Dakota R/T engine 5.9 360 My problem is loss of power at high RPM’s at 60 mph if I floor it, it will down shift and no increase in speed. If I just give it a little gas so it will not down shift I can get as fast as I want. Well maybe not as fast as I want but fast enough. The auto parts store ran a code check and it is misfiring cylinders 1&3 So far I have changes plugs, wires, cap, and ran two tank of fuel injector cleaner also my fuel presser in 48 lbs.   I was thinking about changing the fuel injectors in 1 and 3. What would you say my next step be?

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